A cleaner for Police Scotland who repeatedly assaulted her fiance and boasted nobody would believe him because “police stick together” has been convicted of domestic abuse.
Monika Gauld fought with her partner of more than three years so regularly that he “struggled to distinguish” between the incidents.
But when he decided he’d had enough and called off their wedding she rounded on him, warning he was a “marked man” with her police colleagues.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how the 48-year-old cleaner would regularly punch her partner at their Stoneywood home and on one occasion made threats to kill him.
Gauld’s victim didn’t initially report the incidents because she told him “police would protect their staff”.
Relationship went south due to drink
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann explained that the pair’s relationship deteriorated in 2019 when both parties started drinking alcohol more regularly.
“On occasions in these arguments the accused would make regular threats to kill the complainer,” the fiscal said.
“In September 2019, while both had been drinking alcohol the accused struck the complainer on the face with her fist.
“Following this it became a regular occurrence for her to assault him when she was intoxicated.”
He said this happened so frequently her victim struggled to differentiate between the assaults.
Failed promises to stop drinking
The court heard that Gauld promised to get help for her alcohol problem after her fiance gave her an ultimatum to stop drinking or the relationship would have to end.
Despite assuring him she would get on top of it, she continued drinking and her abusive behaviour moved on to include incidents where she would throw household items at him.
“Again, due to the sheer volume of these incidents the complainer struggled to differentiate between them,” the fiscal added.
An incident when Gauld flung a glass of alcohol and two cans of coke at him prompted her victim to end their relationship and cancel the planned July 2021 wedding.
“He told her he was finished with their relationship, that the wedding was off and that he was leaving her,” the fiscal added.
“She approached him and shouted at him, he could smell alcohol on her breath and, knowing that she was leaving for work, he took the car keys from her as she was not in a fit state to drive to work. She then struck him several times to the face with her fist.”
He left their home and when he returned hours later was told by his fiancee that even if he wanted to report the abuse “nobody would believe him” due to her job with Police Scotland.
Said he was a ‘marked man’ by police
“She told him that she had spoken to several police employees, including a sergeant and members of the domestic abuse team of Police Scotland,” the fiscal said.
“The accused then stated that the complainer better watch his back, that he was now a marked man by the police and that the police would be driving past the house every hour to keep an eye on her.
“On other occasions, she stated to the complainer that ‘the police are making sure their staff are protected’, that he would not be believed if he reported her due to her being an employee of Police Scotland as ‘they stick together’.
“Believing all of this the complainer did not report her to the police as he believed what she had told him.”
The Crown accepted that “there was a large element of provocation” involved in the incidents and the fiscal added that “to a large extent the complainer and accused are as bad as each other”.
Gauld pled guilty to a charge of domestic abuse.
‘It was a two-way street’
Her defence agent Chris Maitland echoed those sentiments that his client’s behaviour mirrored that of her ex and claimed the assaults were “not as regular as every week”.
“It was very much a two-way street,” he added before reading out a selection of transcripts from a recording of one incident, during which the complainer can be heard hurling insults at Gauld and calling her “mental” and “off your rocker”.
“My client’s position is that is reflective of how she was spoken to during the bad times in their relationship,” he added. “It was a toxic relationship.”
Sheriff Eric Brown agreed the domestic abuse sounded “not entirely one-sided”.
He handed Gauld, of Mill Park View, Stoneywood, a structured deferred sentence due for review in six months.
He continued his consideration of a non-harassment order until that date.
‘No Police Scotland employee is above the law’
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs commented: “We note the outcome of the case at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
“Police officers and our staff hold privileged positions within society.
“It is imperative that our people act with integrity and professionalism at all times, upholding public trust and confidence whilst ensuring Police Scotland is an inclusive and safe place to work.
“No Police Scotland employee is above the law and any report of criminality made against officers or staff will be thoroughly investigated.
“When someone fails to meet this standard we take appropriate action.”
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